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In my opinion, Avianca is a very underrated airline. Sure, it's a low-cost airline, and — unless you book business class on a widebody aircraft — you're likely in for a small, uncomfortable seat. That said, its connectivity throughout Latin America is unmatched. I've been a cardholder of the avianca lifemiles American Express® Elite Card since its release in mid-2024, and I couldn't recommend it enough.
As a cardholder, you can save anywhere from 10% to 25% on our favorite Avianca LifeMiles sweet spots, allowing you to stretch your points even farther. The avianca American Express Elite Card award redemption discount has personally saved me thousands of miles.
Here's how it works.
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avianca American Express Elite Card Benefits
As a cardholder of the avianca American Express Elite Card, you receive a few benefits in exchange for a $249 annual fee, including Silver elite status and a complimentary LifeMiles+ membership.
- Earn 3x miles on avianca or lifemiles purchases
- Earn 2x miles on restaurant and other travel purchases
- Earn 1x on all other eligible purchases
- Receive complimentary lifemiles+ lite membership
- Receive avianca lifemiles Silver Elite status
- No foreign transaction fees (See Rates & Fees)
- *See Offer Terms
- Earn 3x miles on avianca or lifemiles purchases
- Earn 2x miles on restaurant and other travel purchases
- Earn 1x on all other eligible purchases
Silver Elite status offers benefits such as two complimentary visits to Avianca VIP lounges, six upgrades to business class when traveling in the Americas, four premium seat selections, an extra checked bag in economy, and Group B priority boarding.
I take advantage of the premium seat selection, priority boarding, and Avianca lounge visits pretty regularly when traveling throughout South America.
However, the LifeMiles+ membership is where the real benefits kick in:
- Get 10% miles back on Star Alliance, Iberia, and Gol flight redemptions
- Up to 25% redemption discount on Avianca Airlines flights
- Up to 40% more miles on LifeMiles hotels and LifeMiles cars
- Up to 10% discount on LifeMiles cars
Yes, you read that correctly: unlimited 10% miles off Star Alliance award redemptions and up to 25% off Avianca redemptions.
That makes it like Delta's TakeOff 15 benefit available to select Delta SkyMiles American Express cardholders — but applicable to partner awards and offering an ever higher discount!
Related: Avianca LifeMiles: Transfer Partners and Partner Airlines
How to Maximize the avianca American Express Elite Card‘s Award Redemption Discount
Luckily, the award redemption discount is automatically applied when you search for a flight when logged in to your LifeMiles account — you don't need to do anything. Star Alliance, Iberia, and Gol flights will all show the standard 10% discount, while Avianca flights will range between 10% and 25%, depending on your route. Here's what it looks like in practice.
Up to 25% discount on Avianca award flights
You can fly with Avianca from New York City (JFK) to Buenos Aires (EZE) with a layover in Bogota (BOG) for 39,000 LifeMiles, plus $33.50 in taxes and fees. However, as a cardholder with a LifeMiles+ membership, you'd pay just 29,740 LifeMiles for the same ticket — savings of almost 10,000 LifeMiles.
This flight costs $623 one-way if paying cash. That means your redemption rate jumps from 1.51 cents per LifeMile without the discount to 1.98 cents per LifeMile with the discount. That's a huge difference!
Long-haul flights aren't the only time you can take advantage of this benefit. I've flown from Miami (MIA) to Medellin (MDE) several times, and this route typically costs less than 5,000 LifeMiles each way after factoring in the award redemption discount. Your savings aren't substantial, but paying just a few thousand miles to get to a new continent is almost unheard of.
10% discount on Star Alliance, Iberia, and Gol awards
That's not to mention the 10% discount you can get on Star Alliance, Iberia & Gol flights. Star Alliance includes some great airlines, like Singapore Airlines, Turkish Airlines, United, Lufthansa, and more.
For instance, you can fly 15+ hours from San Francisco (SFO) to Sydney (SYD) for less than 50,000 LifeMiles, plus $57.60 in taxes and fees. You save 5,500 LifeMiles with the avianca American Express Elite Card — worth $156.75 assuming current AwardWallet user redemptions.
Or, you can fly business class from Washington D.C. (IAD) to Frankfurt (FRA) in United business class for just 72,000 LifeMiles.
Your options are limitless for using your award redemption discount. If there's availability, you're saving miles.
LifeMiles flash sales for even more discounts
Avianca LifeMiles runs flash sales almost back-to-back. That means you can book select routes for even fewer miles. Although these routes (and the number of miles required to book) change every few weeks, it's worth keeping an eye on the LifeMiles sale page to see if there are any good deals departing from an airport nearby.
For instance, at the time of writing, you could book a flight from Miami (MIA) to Bogota (BOG) for just 4,040 LifeMiles, or 3,750 LifeMiles after the award redemption discount. Saving 290 LifeMiles might not be nearly as flashy as saving 10,000 LifeMiles, but that makes these awards even more appealing.
Plus, you can often find a transfer bonus when transferring rewards from select credit cards. If you can take advantage of a 25% transfer bonus to LifeMiles, you could theoretically book a short-haul international sale fare for 3,000 credit card rewards points.
Final Thoughts
The up to 25% discount on Avianca redemptions and 10% discount on Star Alliance, Iberia, and Gol redemptions allows you to extract maximum value from your LifeMiles. You don't need to be a frequent Avianca flyer to justify applying for the avianca American Express Elite Card — it's a great card to have if you enjoy flying with any Star Alliance airline.
- Earn 3x miles on avianca or lifemiles purchases
- Earn 2x miles on restaurant and other travel purchases
- Earn 1x on all other eligible purchases
- Receive complimentary lifemiles+ lite membership
- Receive avianca lifemiles Silver Elite status
- No foreign transaction fees (See Rates & Fees)
- *See Offer Terms
- Earn 3x miles on avianca or lifemiles purchases
- Earn 2x miles on restaurant and other travel purchases
- Earn 1x on all other eligible purchases
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: avianca lifemiles American Express® Elite Card (Rates & Fees)
